Flip Camera

The Flip Video cameras are an American series of pocket video cameras for digital video created by Pure Digital Technologies, a company bought by Cisco Systems in March 2009; variants include the UltraHD, the MinoHD, and the SlideHD. Flip Video cameras were known for their simple interface with few buttons, minimal menus and built in USB plugs (from which they derived the flip name), and were marketed as making video "simple to shoot, simple to share" Production of the line of Flip video cameras ran from 2006 until April 2011, when Cisco Systems discontinued them as to "exit aspects of tsconsumer businesses". Flip cameras contributed to an increase in the popularity of similar small tapeless camcorders, although the inclusion of HD video cameras in many smartphones has since made them a more niche product.

Features

Flip cameras' video quality was unusually good for their prices and sizes. They can record videos at different resolutions. FlipHD camcorders digitally record high-definition video at 1280 x 720 resolution using H.264 video compression, Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) audio compression and the MP4 file format, while the older models used a 640 x 480 resolution. The MinoHD and SlideHD models have an internal lithium-ion rechargeable battery included, while the Ultra series included a removable battery that can be interchanged with standard AA or AAA batteries.

All models lack memory card extension slots, though the Flip UltraHD(2 hr) can record to a storage device via FlipPort. Models can be connected to a computer with a flip-out USB connector, without the need for a USB cable. Flip Cameras record monaural sound, and use a simple clip-navigation interface with a D-pad and two control buttons which allowed for viewing of recorded videos, starting and stopping recording, and digital zoom. The third and final generation of Flip UltraHD cameras retailed for $149.99 and $199.99 for 4GB (1 hour) and 8GB (2 hour) models respectively, incorporate digital stabilization, and increased the frame rate from 30 to 60 frames per second. With FlipPort, users can plug in external accessories.

All Flip cameras included the required video player and 3ivx codec software, FlipShare, on the camera's internal storage. For all models after 2010, an HDMI cable can stream videos to TV screens.

Later Flip Video models came in a variety of colors, and could be custom ordered with designs digitally painted on. Accessories for the Flip Video camera include an underwater case, a mini-tripod, a bicycle helmet attachment, and a wool case (Mino camcorders) or soft pouch (Flip UltraHD), rechargeable battery replacements for the UltraHD series, and an extension cable.

Flip Video's accompanying software is called FlipShare, which facilitate downloads of videos, basic editing, and uploading to various websites. After the release of version 5.6, FlipShare no longer included a function to convert video to WMV format.

History

The first version was originally released as the "Pure Digital Point & Shoot" video camcorder on May 1, 2006 as a reusable follow-on to the popular CVS One-Time-Use Camcorder, a Pure Digital product sold through CVS/pharmacy {{R from other capitalisation
Company now has a new name to go along ...